An appeal to employers and workers in the ready-mixed concrete production sector to return to the negotiation table is made by the Minister of Labor Yiannis Panagiotou, who stated that he has sent a relevant letter to both sides, which was accepted by the employers, but rejected by the workers.
The Minister, on the sidelines of his statements after the presentation of demographic measures to the ad hoc Parliamentary Committee and answering questions from journalists, also referred to the strike of doctors in public hospitals, calling on them to show the corresponding responsibility, while he expressed optimism for the signing of the contract in the hotel industry within the next few days, despite any disagreements expressed publicly.
"The restoration of normality in the ready-mixed concrete production sector is necessary for the smooth operation of the wider construction industry and other affected sectors in order to avoid negative effects on the Cypriot economy", he said and added that "unfortunately we have entered the fourth week of strike measures , despite the repeated efforts that have been made to bridge the gap, which anyway was small to begin with and although along the way it has shrink".
The Minister stated that on Monday he wrote to both sides to confirm whether they have the constructive disposition necessary to reach a compromise agreement. As he said, the response was positive from the employer's side, so that the discussion will continue and the effort will be repeated in order to be able to submit any variation to the proposals that have already been submitted with the perspective of mutual acceptance. However, the attitude of the trade union side was not positive, he said, since according to the answer received by the Minister, any discussion with the employer side is not considered useful, nor is there a willingness to respond to the Ministry's goal of reaching a compromise agreement. He also said that the original positions, which had been set by the representatives of the workers, were reaffirmed.
"From the facts, through these data, it does not seem to be possible to assess that there is a possibility of reaching an agreement between two sides or of submitting any other proposal to be accepted, to defuse the crisis, to sign the Collective Contract of the sector and to be able to return to normality", he pointed out, speaking of "limited possibilities" to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
"I appeal again to both sides, pointing out the need for a demonstration of responsibility on both sides. The difference is now very limited and the cost created for the wider economy is greater than the cost of the disagreement between the two parties. Through the demonstration of a little goodwill on both sides, reaching an agreement is possible, but in order for this to become a reality, the necessary steps must be taken," he noted.
The Minister clarified that what is being negotiated and for which the Ministry is mediating, is the renewal of the Collective Agreement. He noted that in the previous years and until now, no issue was raised before the Ministry for non-implementation of the existing contract, especially for the provision for which the strike is taking place (ss: for overtime compensation).
"The question is not to assign responsibility to one or the other side or to justify oneself, but to renew the Collective Agreement, to confirm the value of tripartite social cooperation, to confirm the added value of social dialogue, which allows overcoming of the difficulties to continue the smooth operation", he underlined.
Doctors strike
Asked about the 48-hour strike of doctors in public hospitals, he said that the dispute is being managed by the Minister of Health. "Although the situation has been presented in detail and thoroughly through which mutually acceptable solutions can be found, the doctors' strike is currently underway, which is negatively affecting the public health sector, which is not working in the right direction direction to complete reforms in the sector," he said.
"We call once again on the representatives of the doctors to act with the necessary responsibility, so that the health of the citizens is not put at risk due to the trade union demands", he noted.
Within the next few days the contract will be signed in the hotel industry
Finally, regarding the agreement on the renewal of the Collective Agreement in the hotel industry and asked about the rejection of the proposal by PASYXE, the Minister said that the agreement was concluded at the beginning of the month after the mediation proposal of the Ministry of Labor was accepted by the industry employer associations. During the process of ratification by all the organizations that co-signed the agreement in principle, an issue arose in PASYXE, he said.
"I appreciate that the renewal of the Collective Agreement was never in doubt and I believe that the documents that have already been sent since last week to all those who will co-sign the agreement for the renewal of the Collective Agreement with a long-term horizon until the end of 2027 will allow next week the renewal of the contract, without any variation of those already agreed," he said.
He added that in order to be able to preserve normality and stability in the hotel industry, great efforts have been made in recent months from all sides. "Despite any public reports, I am confident of the smooth development of things, because in an international environment characterized especially in our region by fluidity, domestic stability is necessary and I believe that in the coming days this will be confirmed," he said.
Source: KYPE
